Given Tulsa Public Schools’ recent history of a potential state takeover, chronic absenteeism and low reading and math proficiencies, some have questioned the practicality of the school district’s taking on $609 million bond proposal.

Not TPS Superintendent Dr. Ebony Johnson.

“Why not do a bond?” Johnson said Monday at the Tulsa Regional Chamber’s Joint Board of Directors and Board of Advisors meeting at Tulsa Tech’s Lemley Campus. “Let’s go. We can do hard things.” 

After hearing a presentation from Johnson, the Joint Board voted unanimously to endorse the proposal, which goes before voters April 7.

“One of the great things about Tulsa is that we have amazing individuals like all of you in our city who really do appreciate and love your public schools, and you want to see our students have every opportunity,” she said.

TPS, which has about 33,000 students and 5,000 employees, is battling a $22 million budget deficit, Johnson told the Chamber’s Executive Committee last month.

The bond package is divided into four parts, each of which will be voted upon separately:

• $276 million for safe learning environments
• Nearly $201 million for learning opportunities and career development
• Roughly $105 million for student and staff technology
• And $27.2 million for transportation

In the classroom, the district is making strides, Johnson said.

The district’s chronic absenteeism rate has decreased by 8%, and compared to the start of last school year, it had 100 fewer teaching vacancies.

Also, TPS’s graduation rate increased 5% from 2023-24, and from 2023 to 2025, every grade from third to eighth increased proficiency in math and reading.

“We’ve got a long way to go,” she said. “We have a lot of work ahead of us. But we are partnering strategically among our team, as well as throughout the state, in order to see academic gains for our young people.”

By law, funds from bond proposals cannot fund operations such as teacher pay.

Passage of school bonds require a 60% supermajority, as opposed to the 50%-plus-one simple majority.

“If we do not pass the bond, we still have to find money in order to take care of roofs and HVAC and safety and textbooks and all the materials that students have to have,” Johnson said. “…So, it’s very important.”